In the purification or refining of metals, it is of common practice to use electrolysis, especially in electrolytic cells designed for this purpose. The metals to be refined are usually conventional metals such as copper, zinc, nickel or cadmium, or precious metals such as silver, platinum or gold, and others.
Various configurations of contact elements and insulators can be used in electrolytic cells for contacting and supporting anodes and cathodes. The contact bars and insulators can have different forms, constructions, compositions and assembly methods.
Existing configurations combining contact elements and insulators are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,342,136 and 7,204,919 for example.
There are a variety of challenges and inefficiencies related to existing contact elements and insulators used in hydrometallurgical refining. Therefore, there is still a need for enhancing electric current distribution within components of the electrolytic cells and managing maintenance of these components.